17 deals made at NHL trade deadline

BOSTON — Defenseman Wade Redden was traded Wednesday by the St. Louis Blues to the Boston Bruins for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2014 NHL draft.

Redden leaves St. Louis after producing two goals and five points in 23 games this season. He had spent the previous two seasons with the New York Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate in Connecticut before he signed with St. Louis this year.

The 35-year-old veteran figured to see diminished playing time in St. Louis after the Blues acquired Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold in recent deals. With the Bruins, his role will be to supply defensive depth.

The second overall pick in the 1995 draft, Redden started his career with the Ottawa Senators and played there for 11 years before going to the Rangers and now the Blues. He has 108 career goals and 455 points.

The trend of fewer players moving at the NHL trade deadline continued for the third year Wednesday, as only 30 players changed uniforms in 17 trades. That follows 16 deals made in the final trade date in each of the last two years, involving 35 players in 2011 and 32 players last year.

Those numbers are in stark contrast to preceding years. For example, from 2003 through 2010, 172 deals were consummated, involving 309 players, an average of 24.5 trades and 44 players per season. The biggest single-year numbers came in 2010, when 31 trades were made involving 55 players.

The trading period included a number of major deals prior to Wednesday’s deadline, including Jarome Iginla being dealt from the Calgary Flames to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jaromir Jagr being sent from the Dallas Stars to the Boston Bruins.

Other deals made Wednesday prior to the 3 p.m. ET deadline include:

– Columbus traded G Steve Mason to the Flyers for G Michael Leighton and Philadelphia’s third-round pick in the 2015 draft. The Blue Jackets also sent RW Derek Dorsett, C Derick Brassard, D John Moore and Columbus’ sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft to the New York Rangers for RW Marian Gaborik, D Blake Parlett and D Steven Delisle.

Gaborik waived his no-trade clause to allow the transaction to take place. A three-time All-Star and five-time 30-goal scorer who had 41 last season, Gaborik has slumped this season, having just nine goals and 10 assists in 35 games. Gaborik, 31, has two years to go on a five-year, $37.5 million deal. The annual salary-cap hit is $7.5 million.

Vinny Prospal is the only Blue Jackets player to score 10 goals this season, so Columbus hopes Gaborik can provide an offensive lift.

– Anaheim traded C Brandon McMillan to the Phoenix Coyotes for C Matthew Lombardi, and the Ducks sent G Jeff Deslauriers to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations.

Lombardi is changing addresses for the second time this season, having started the season with the Toronto Maple Leafs before getting dealt to Phoenix. He played in 21 games for the Coyotes and had four goals and four assists. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season when his contract runs out. He is making $3.5 million this season.

– The Florida Panthers traded C Jerred Smithson to the Oilers for Edmonton’s fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft.

Smithson, 34, has two goals and three assists and has won 54.8 percent of 363 faceoffs in 35 games this season. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. His salary counts $800,000 against the cap.

– Phoenix traded LW Raffi Torres to the San Jose Sharks for Florida’s third-round pick in the 2013 draft (previously acquired). The Coyotes also sent LW Steve Sullivan to New Jersey for the Devils’ seventh-round pick in the 2014 draft.

Torres, 31, has five goals, seven assists and 13 penalty minutes in 28 games this season for the Coyotes. He spent the early part of the season completing a 25-game suspension for his hit on the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa during the playoffs last year. Torres’ two-year, $3.5 million contract expires at the end of the season.